23. 23
Allie
I don’t even bother waiting for Jax to get his pants back on. I just fling the door wide open.
Of course, it just so happens to be the exact moment Ana opens hers—directly across the hall.
I step into the hallway, yanking my door halfway shut behind me to hide the chaos inside as Jax fumbles with his zipper.
“Did you hear that?” I ask, heart still pounding in my chest.
“Oh, I heard it.” She grins. “I just figured you were the one screaming.”
My mouth drops open. “Why would you—”
But the words die in my throat when James pokes his head out from behind her, his hair even more disheveled than usual… and missing a shirt.
He glances between Ana and me. “What the bloody hell are you two doin’ over there?” He laughs. “Some wild roleplaying?”
I blink, trying to process what I’m seeing, but the confusion barely has time to settle before another scream pierces through the air. The door beside mine flies open and Nora bolts out—barefoot, but at least dressed. And, from what I can tell, unharmed.
She runs straight toward me, but before I can say anything, Jax opens our door wider and gently pulls her inside, one hand guiding her, the other braced on the doorframe. He closes it softly behind her, then steps out to stand beside me.
Right as Gareth charges into the hallway.
“Yeah, this is fucking typical, Nora! Run away and pretend to be the victim when it’s my life you ruined!” Gareth shouts.
His face is beet red, a vein bulging at his temple. And all my stomach does is twist.
Typical?
Before I even realize it, I’m already moving toward him, fists clenched at my sides. But something—or rather someone—stops me. I don’t even have to look to know it’s Jax. The way his hand closes around my arm perfectly, holding me gently in place, tells me.
Although, that clearly doesn’t stop me.
“You want to know what’s typical, Gareth?
A man crying about his ruined life like he didn’t help make it happen!
You knew damn well no protection equals babies.
If you don’t want kids, then wrap your dick!
” I should stop there and think about what I’m saying…
but I don’t. “Some people don’t even get the chance to have the kids they want.
And some of us are in court fighting to keep the ones we do have all while guys like you get to act like being a dad is some kind of burden. ”
Gareth lets out a low, nasty laugh and drags his fingers through his beard. Then he lifts a finger and points right at me.
“Jax, you better tell your girl to watch that fuckin’ mouth of hers.”
Before the words even register, Jax releases my arm and surges forward. His hands clap down on Gareth’s shoulders with a loud smack, and in one swift, almost blurry motion, he shoves him back into the room and slams the door behind him.
What the actual hell is happening right now?
Though, clearly I’m not the only one confused.
Desmond’s head appears in his doorway, hair sticking up in all directions, eyes barely open. He squints across the hall at James and jerks his chin in his direction.
“When the fuck did you leave?” he asks loudly.
If I thought I was confused before… this is next-level.
Ana brushes past James, giving him a light shove with her shoulder as she skips across the hall and straight into my room. Then James slinks by me, his hand squeezing the back of his neck as he offers a small, almost embarrassed smile and heads back toward his room with Desmond.
What the hell is going on tonight?
I groan loudly, hands slapping my sides as I spin around and practically run into my room.
All I want to do is reverse time to not even fifteen minutes ago. It was a good night—even amazing. But before I can dwell on that, my eyes land on Nora, perched on the edge of my bed, her head in her hands, sobbing softly. Suddenly, any thought I had vanishes.
Ana sits cross-legged in front of her, one hand resting gently on Nora’s knee.
I slowly cross the room and sink onto the bed beside her, throwing my arm loosely around her shoulders.
“So… what happened?” I ask, keeping my voice soft as I watch her breaths start to slow.
Her hands fall from her face and into her lap. “He’s just a dick!”
Yeah, I kinda figured that one out on my own.
I blink. “Okay, but why? What happened tonight?”
She wipes under her eyes, taking a slow, shaky breath. “He keeps saying I trapped him.”
“Oh hunn—”
“Well, did you?” Ana cuts in.
My eyes snap to her. “Ana!”
“What?” she says with a shrug. “Oh, come on, Allie. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not trying to be a bitch, but… he knows how condoms work.”
I fight the urge to just shrug and nod, but she has a point. He even said when we first met that he’s had plenty of one-night stands. I’m pretty sure that means he knows to use protection… unless there are like fifteen little Gareths running around we don’t know about.
I blink the urge away and shake my head. “Okay, what happened?”
Nora looks between the two of us, and I swear I see that guilty look I know all too well flicker across her face.
“He’s just still upset about our OB appointment,” she says quietly, shrugging like either of us have the slightest clue what she’s talking about.
I raise a brow, crossing my arms tight across my chest. “Yeah, we’re gonna need you to elaborate on that.”
She reluctantly turns to face us, eyes downcast. “When my doctor asked if there were precautions taken before the pregnancy, I was just honest... I said no.”
I blink. Again. For the millionth time tonight, because my brain surely can’t take much more confusion before it literally explodes, but… what?
Then the pieces click together.
No… she wouldn’t do that.
“Don’t tell me you told him you were on birth control,” Ana says, one brow raised.
Nora’s eyes dart between Ana and me before she flings an arm in my direction. “Well, didn’t you tell Jax you were?”
My mouth drops open. What the actual hell does that have to do with anything?
“Yeah. I did tell him that. Because I was on birth control, Nora.”
“Wait, was?!” Ana practically screams, leaning forward, knees pulled to her chest.
Fuck.
I quickly turn to Nora, hoping to avoid a full-on interrogation—at least for now.
“Why would you do that, Nora?” I ask softly, trying not to sound accusing, but… this is wrong.
She breaks down again, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to lie,” she says through a hiccup. “I only said that because the doctor told me it wouldn’t be easy with my irregular periods.”
I tilt my head, trying my hardest to understand.
“Nora,” I say flatly. “I’m a nurse. Even though I haven’t been taking many shifts with everything going on I still know what I’m talking about.
If you had come to me, I would’ve told you it doesn’t matter.
You can still get pregnant with irregular periods—obviously. ”
“Yeah, and plus you already have two daughters,” Ana adds. “Isn’t that kind of an indication that’s not accurate?”
Nora shakes her head and wipes a snot bubble away with her sleeve. “No, because it was after I had the girls.”
The room falls silent. The only sound is Jax and Gareth arguing behind the wall, but I haven’t heard anything break, so at least that’s comforting.
“He thinks I purposely sabotaged his tour,” Nora admits quietly.
“Well…” Ana starts, but I cut her a glare that says don’t.
I rest my hand on Nora’s back, trying to offer some comfort.
“Nora, what you did…” I pause, searching for the right words that don’t sound like an attack.
“That’s a form of abuse. It’s called reproductive coercion.
When someone takes away the other person’s choice about having a kid…
that’s serious. It’s not okay. And Gareth honestly has every right to feel the way he does right now. ”
I hate having to be so blunt with her, but honestly? Right now she needs it.
She turns to face me slowly, her body stilling like she’s finally fully realizing. “Abuse?” she whispers, eyes wide. Her head shakes slowly. “I… I didn’t mean—”
Her tears cut her off, her head dropping into her hands. I keep rubbing her back through the shaking until she suddenly sits up straight. “I… I need to talk to him. I really wasn’t trying to trap him. I just thought I couldn’t get pregnant after having Salem.”
I give her a tight-lipped smile. “I know, sweetie. You should really talk to him about everything.”
“I will,” she says, then leans in and wraps her arms around me.
I watch her slide off the bed and pad back into the hallway. Then I turn and catch Ana staring straight into my soul, nearly scaring the crap out of me.
“What?” I ask, tilting my head.
Ana narrows her eyes and slowly raises a finger, waving it at me. “Don’t think I missed that little comment.”
My mouth drops open, but a smirk tugs at my lips. “Yeah, well don’t think I didn’t see James in your room with no shirt on.”
And as if he knows the perfect time, Jax comes waltzing into the hotel room, his hand running through his hair.
Ana hops right up, a smile spread across her lips. “Bye!”
I snicker and let my back hit the mattress just as Jax does the same beside me.
He turns on his side, slides his arm under me, and pulls me close, nuzzling his nose in between my shoulders.
And that’s the perfect way to end a stressful night.
So much for having one uneventful trip.